System Overview; System Components - Brainlab Curve Dual Navigation Station System User's Manual

SYSTEM OVERVIEW

2 SYSTEM OVERVIEW
2.1

System Components

Terminology
The Curve Dual Navigation Station shall be referred to as "Curve system" in this user guide.
Abbreviation
UPS is used to abbreviate "uninterruptible power supply" in this manual.
General Information
The Curve system is a navigation platform used for image guided surgery, consisting of:
• A camera unit (see page 61)
• A medical computer unit for running software (see Technical User Guide)
• Touchscreen monitor units for displaying navigation and for user interaction with the software
(see page 39)
EM Tracking Unit
The EM Tracking unit consists of two main components, EM Base Station and EM Field
Generator. EM Base Station must be fixed to the OR table. EM Field Generator must be fixed to
either the Fixation Plate or the Positioning Arm when in use.
Optical Tracking
Optical tracking is achieved by a camera unit that emits and detects flashes of infrared light.
• Reflective elements, affixed to reference arrays on the patient and to instrumentation, reflect
the infrared signals back to the camera unit.
• Reflected signals from the reflective elements are captured and digitized by each camera lens
from a different angle.
• The software uses the camera input to calculate the relative three-dimensional positions of the
instruments and the patient reference arrays.
Basis for Electromagnetic Tracking
Electromagnetic (EM) tracking uses a field generator to create a known volume of a varying
magnetic field. This field induces voltage into coils located inside the EM instruments. From the
strength and phase of the induced voltages, the position of the instrument inside the area of
interest is calculated. Brainlab software applications use this tracking unit input to display the
three-dimensional position of the EM instruments relative to the EM Patient Reference.
System User Guide Rev. 1.0 Curve Dual Navigation Station Ver. 1.2 19